Well, once again, South Dakota public schools have, according to “Education Week” flunked the course and rank dead last among all the states in the country. Shame on us for intentionally neglecting our children’s education so.
Or are we?
Let’s take a closer look at the 6 criteria used in this condemnation of South Dakota education; student’s “chance for success” later in life if they attend school in the state, school finances; state assessments and standards; and teacher and school accountability.” Oh yeah, it also considers student achievement but, apparently, the fact that South Dakota kids rank consistently well above the national average on every level from report card grades, to SAT scores to the percentage of those who graduate high school to the percentage of those grads going on to college..doesn’t count for much . Here are some of the latest actual figures.
Our kids and teachers are getting that job done, folks; in spades..but you’re not seeing those numbers in “Education Week” which would have you believe that students in New York and New Jersey are much better off than those in South Dakota.
Is there room for improvement in K-12 education? Of course there is. Teacher salaries, for example, are embarrassingly low by comparison to other states and it’s high time we put a higher priority on paying them more before the realities of the economy outweigh their willingness to keep biting the bullet . Please don’t say, well, they only work 9 months out of the year. I think if you totaled up all the hours they dedicate to the job day AND night, you’d find they could put in for overtime.
Look, I don’t have any solutions to education issues but, like a lot of you, grow tired of having outsiders keep calling us dumb because we don’t measure up to their perception of how schools should be run and our kids’ chances for success in life.
You don’t know us..so shaddup.